1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a broadcast receiver and a method for managing reserved recording information, and more particularly to a broadcast receiver for generating reserved recording information of a broadcast program using an Electronic Program Guide (EPG), and performing registration, modification, and cancellation of a reserved recording on the EPG, and a method for managing reserved recording information.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Typically, with the increasing development of digital technology in modern society, information communication technology, electronic technology, and Internet-associated technology are rapidly developed, resulting in the implementation of high-level information society.
Conventionally, a user has acquired desired information from information sources by physically contacting the information sources. However, presently, the user can acquire the desired information from the information sources via a wired or wireless medium, and can also receive the desired information from the information sources in real time by wire or wirelessly, such that necessary information can rapidly spread over a network such as the Internet.
TV broadcast technology is being rapidly digitized, such that digital TVs of individual households are being widely used as huge and effective information storage mediums and information providers.
In recent times, an A/V (Audio/Video) device includes a variety of basic functions (e.g., a terrestrial broadcast receiving function, a cable broadcast receiving function, a satellite broadcast receiving function, a digital broadcast reception function, and an analog TV reception function, etc.), and also includes additional functions (e.g., a DVD-player function, and an MP3-player function). In order to acquire many more functions from the A/V device, the basic functions and the additional functions are effectively combined and related to each other.
Particularly, DTV (digital TV)—associated products are classified into a variety of DTV products, for example, a DTV for recording broadcast data in a Hard Disc Drive (HDD), a DTV for simultaneously displaying/recording broadcast data using at least two tuners, a DTV for simultaneously recording broadcast data of at least two channels, and a DTV manufactured by combination of various applications (e.g., a PIP). A set-top box (STB) including at least four tuners has also been introduced to the market.
The above-mentioned DTV set or STB provides a user with an Electronic Program Guide (EPG) of FIG. 1 using a PSIP (Program & System Information Protocol) information. Recently, a PVR (Personal Video Recorder) equipped with a HDD is newly introduced to the market, such that a reserved recording function on the EPG is widely added to the above-mentioned DTV or STB.
FIG. 1 exemplarily shows a conventional EPG display image.
Referring to FIG. 1, the EPG display image 100 includes a channel display area 102 and an area 104 for providing corresponding channel program information (hereinafter referred to as a channel program information provision area 104).
The channel display area 102 is composed of a plurality of channel cells capable of providing channel information. The channel program information provision area 104 provides a corresponding program title for each cell.
If the user selects a desired program cell from the channel program information provision area 104, a detailed information image of a corresponding program is displayed.
A variety of information is displayed on the detailed information image, for example, detailed information (e.g., a channel number, a program title, and a broadcast start/end time) of a corresponding program, a reserved recording button, and a cancellation button, etc.
The user can perform reserved recording of a corresponding program using the reserved recording button.
The reserved recording program registered on the EPG is indicated on a corresponding program cell, such that the user can recognize the presence or absence of reserved recording of a desired program or can cancel the reserved recording of the program using a User Interface (UI).
The user can view desired broadcast program information on the EPG, and can perform or cancel the reserved recording of a desired program, such that the user can conveniently perform the reserved recording function as compared to an analog-type VCR.
However, domestic broadcast environments have not yet provided the user with correct PSIP information, and currently broadcast excessive broadcast data to the user before and after broadcasting the principal programs.
Due to the above-mentioned problems, if the user performs reserved recording of a desired broadcast program using only program broadcast time information of the EPG, the desired broadcast program may be erroneously recorded while being partially deleted, or unnecessary broadcast programs may also be recorded.
Therefore, the user must manually select a desired reserved time different from the program start/end times on the EPG, and must register the reserved recording function to be activated at the reserved time, such that the reserved recording function is actually activated at the user-desired reserved time instead of the actual program start/end times.
However, an internal module of the EPG can visually indicate the reserved recording registration of only some programs, which are contained in a reserved recording list or correctly coincide with the program start/end times on the EPG. Therefore, the above-mentioned EPG internal module has a disadvantage in that it is unable to visually indicate the reserved recording registration of user-selected programs or other programs having changed start/end times due to the modification of PSIP information, such that the user is unable to recognize whether the reserved recording function is registered by referring to the EPG. In this case, the user must directly view the reserved recording list, such that the user has difficulty in registering, modifying, and canceling the reserved recording function, resulting in greater inconvenience of the user.